We are serving in the Bangkok, Thailand Mission. From time to time we will update this page to inform you of our wonderful mission. Thanks for checking in! Let me know about how you are doing and create a blog!

Experiences in Thailand on Our Mission

After the Flooding, Huge Humanitarian Effort

In Front of The New Chapel in Bangkok

In the Chapel putting Relief Bags together

Monday, July 28, 2008

Update for the month of June and July – Sorry its taken so long! We had several meetings with our Mission President. He had asked us to focus a lot more on less active members and help return them back to Church. We visited Brother Sutep and his family with two boys. Brother Sutep and his wife are returned missionaries. We found out that Brother Sutep has also been a Branch President before. We are working with them to remember the blessings they received when they were active. We have also been visiting Brother Thanin and his family. He is 72 years old. After befriending them, they felt like returning back to church would help them to progress in the Lord' kingdom.

Our Branch attendance has increased from 50 to 65. There are more investigators attending meetings with us as well. The new Branch President has been working hard. He is a business man. He has his own shop near the community school, his wife is a nurse, and they love to serve. We also love to work with the members in our branch. Home teaching for 6 families is also our assignment.

We worked with 5 people in the branch that have been trying to visit the temple in Hong Kong. It is the closest Temple and not easy to for them like it is for us back home. They work hard to save money and prepare their trip to the Lord’s house. They have gone and been spiritually uplifted. They share their experiences with us. In the group were our Branch President, President Apiwat, 40 years old and his wife. Sister Rapeeporn and her mother, which was their first time attending, and Sister Jitra a returned missionary. That was her second time visiting the Temple. To think of the wonderful blessing we have in Utah and how we take it for granted is sometimes sad. May we work to serve the Lord more in His home.

Working in the Branch Presidency and proselyting daily keeps us very busy. One of the methods of proselyting we have seen success with has been holding street meetings in the public park. Many people come to the park with family to relax and have fun. While many of them play and rest, they tend to see our table with pictures and come ask us questions about the church. We do this twice a week and have met many people to teach.

We also try and work with the other missionaries in our district. We have a meeting with the young missionaries each week on Monday. In these past two months, we have been blessed to take part in two baptisms, with another one in a week.

On our Service days, we help the community and families around us in their farms. We have also been teaching English classes. We are assigned to teach ESL classes on Wednesday evenings from six to eight for basic or beginning classes for non-members. Many of then turn out to be our investigators. We love doing this service because it makes us feel like our English is actually good.

We will continue to enjoy the Lord's work in Udonthani.

Take care and continue to pray for our brothers and sisters. We love you all!

Thailand Mission Photos

Preston and Tanner Saying Hello to Grandma and Grandpa

It was a great time at Ching Mai that all Seniors there, and would like to post their names as follows; Elder and Sister Oldham, Elder and Sister Cook, Elder and Sister Facer, Elder and Sister Gonzales, Elder and Sister Greenwood, Elder and Sister Hatch, Elder and Sister Jones, Elder and Sister Laing, Elder and Sister McPhie, Elder and Sister Sitivong, Elder and Sister Snow, Elder and Sister Wasson, Elder and Sister Jones, Elder and Sister Meakley

January 27, 2008 to Present

We have been assigned to work in the Udonthani District. We have been given assignments to teach new and less active members by using book "Preach my Gospel." We work with less active members and we take part in humanitarian service. We have also been teaching teens on drug and alcohol prevention and keeping the law of chastity and the word of wisdom.

Sister Seangsuwan and I have also been asked to help with the training of the church leaders in this area. We have been in Udon since Jan 27. and do not know how long we will be in this district, it is up to the Mission President. We love the people here and love working with the other missionaries.

We have contacted about 44 families which 7 families are being taught the discussions. Our Mission President asked me to preside and train the leaders in Udon district on March 8. He and his wife are very happy to have us working with the people in this area. We are really happy and enjoy our assignment. For the most part the Thai people in this area open the doors and let us in to teach there family members. They are humble and happy to see Senior Missionaries come to their homes.

Our testimony has grown due to our assignment of teaching the truth of the gospel of the Lord to His children. Our most memorable moment so far is when we introduced ourselves to them that we are from Utah and come to serve the Lord in Thailand, eventhough, we miss our children and grandkids. Serving and leaving family is such a small sacrifice for such a great purpose. It helps us understand more of the great work that we are doing. We work each day and love to serve. Sister Seangsuwan loves to study scripture more and more and is doing her best to learn how to teach the gospel. She still loves to talk alot and share her testimony. We should teach only 30 minutes, but she still goes on and on and the converstation ends up over one and half hour each family.

I told her not to worry about the family at home. When we work hard we know that the Lord will take care of them. So far, we love to serve the Lord in Thailand as well as eat the Thai food. Wednesday is our Preparation day. Sister Seangsuwan does alot of window shopping but does not buy anything. She just likes to look around and I love to follow her. In the evenings, we return back to Church to help young missionaries teaching ESL and we also are able to meet new people to teach. In class, the last 10 minutes, I was introduced as Guest Speaker to teach something that I have learn in the US and answer their questions.

We have had a great experience on our mission and love all of you! Thank you so much for your support! More comments and pictures to come.

Email from Elder and Sister Oldham

Their words and message are sweet and I wanted to share to you how the work is progressing in other parts of Thailand:

Dear Family and Friends,

On our early morning walks, we watch young monks leave their wat and begin the morning ritual of being fed along the streets by devoted Buddhist women. The women prepare sticky rice, dress in their nicest clothes, kneel beside the road in front of their homes, and then wait for the monks' arrival. After receiving the rice into their "silver" bowls, the monks chant a blessing on the women and then walk on down the road to another home. I have wondered if these lovely women occasionally also think of the time when their own sons were monks and hoped that a kind woman would feed them--perhaps not unlike LDS missionary moms feeding local missionaries and hoping at the same time that someone is taking care of their own sons or daughters. (See the attached pictures)

It is traditional for all men in Lao to become monks at least once in their life in order to devote all time to Buddha, learn more about him, and to practice self denial. While one young man was very sick, his parents promised that he would spend 3 months as a novice monk if he recovered. Shortly after his recovery, the father shaved his son's head and went with him to the wat (temple) to help him enter. He took his new robes and someone showed him how to put them on his left shoulder. Isn't it wonderful to think how most cultures have bits and pieces of truth as they strive to serve God.

I think life as a novice must be quite hard for young teenage boys since they may not eat anything after 12:00 noon and must get up at 4:00 a.m every morning. They are awakened by drums beating to drive away evil spirits, then they pray and clean the wat. At 6:00 the bells toll and they begin their barefoot walk to collect food. With 197 wats in Vientiane, 2 of them behind our hotel apartment, we get to hear lots of bells along with drums and roosters.

We have a plum assignment here and we're so grateful to our Heavenly Father for His loving guidance, mercy and patience with us. We love seeing first hand how the gospel changes people, how it radiates from our Branch member's faces, and is in turn noticed by those with whom they associate in other capacities. This week, 2 people who have been attending Elder and Sister Jone's English classes along with a few Branch members, noticed the difference and asked to know more about our organization. The Jones couldn't tell them, but they could and did tell them where we meet on Sundays. That is the way our Branch grows--it is the fastest growing Branch in the Thailand, Bangkok Mission even though we have no proselyting missionaries here. It is really quite remarkable.